Frugal. By Nature.

Book Review: On a Dollar a Day

Two high school teachers challenged themselves to do just that and the result is a compelling look at our relationship with food, poverty, and the world around us.

Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard share their story in their new book On A Dollar a Day.

The book outlines their trials and tribulations with living on a dollar a day for a month, then living on a food budget equivalent to the food stamp allotment (with personal contributions), and finally on just focusing on eating a healthy, affordable diet.

What started out as a simple experiment in response to outrageous food costs, ended up revealing some incredible lessons on the psychology of what (and how) we eat, the art of self-disclipline, and a greater awareness of the issue of hunger and poverty in the world around us.

This isn’t a book that will teach you how to do this. This is an emotional account of their very personal experiences during their experiments. It outlines the challenges people on a limited budget face every day when it comes to eating healthy. Living on a dollar a day or on a food stamp budget can be done, but even people who are extremely careful planners and try to follow healthy eating guidelines will find great challenges in doing so.

What I loved about this book was that it really made me think about the food we eat and where it comes from. It made me question the unfairness of a society in which unhealthy processed foods often cost so much less than their healthier, wholesome counterparts. It made me do a lot of thinking about whether it is better to buy cheap food or local food – an issue that I must admit, I haven’t given much thought to before.

The book does include some great information on how to save money on food, but in a completely different way than I have ever seen mentioned in a frugal living book. Instead of the usual “clip coupons, watch the sales” advice, there is no mention of coupons. Instead there is a focus on buying natural foods, growing your own foods, buying locally, menu planning, and not wasting food.

I enjoyed reading about this couple’s determination, the challenges, and the triumphs to live On a Dollar a Day. Their efforts to make more people aware of the issue of hunger and poverty were very touching and inspiring.

Disclosure: Hyperion Books provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book’s authors, publisher or distributors. This post contains affiliate links, which help support this blog. Read my full disclosure policy here.